Without Hesitation
by Minato Namikaze
Summary: With two simple words, and a flash of green light, Harry's life is changed forever. OoTP. Religious Fic. No Slash. No pairings.


A/N: **WARNING**, this is a very religious fic. It has Catholic/Christian elements, so if you are offended by those, don't read, or don't flame if you do. To those of the said religion, please take no offence in the events in the story, as I mean absolutely no offence by it, being a Catholic myself. This is just a small interpretation of the events, with Harry Potter fan fiction mixed in. Also, I own no characters in this story. I only own the most of the plot. Thank you.

(-)(-)

I stared.

It was the only thing my mind would do.

I killed her.

_Killed_ her.

Oh, what had I _done_?

There was a brief moment of pain as I fell to my knees, in front of her body.

Bellatrix Lestrange.

Murderer of my godfather, Sirius Black.

Murdered victim of said godfather's godchild, Harry Potter.

I hadn't really meant to do it, I just wanted to stop her.

But I was lying to myself.

I Knew the truth. Her words still echoed in my mind, even now.

"_You have to mean them boy_!"

And I had meant it. Even as she lyed in front of my, cowering for her life, I meant it.

And that tore me apart, into millions of thousands of pieces.

Somewhere behind me, there was a rumble, a sudden clash, and suddenly being shoved away, finally brought me back to reality. Dumbledore and Voldemort were fighting, their magic far outclassing my own, snakes of fire, animated statues, fire whips, it all flew over my head; I was still in shock about what I had done. They were shouting, talking to each other, and to me, though I couldn't hear anything.

I had to get away, get somewhere quiet. I couldn't think right with all this noise.

I ran away from the battle, far back down into the ministry, running without a true purpose, running away from a deed already done.

Finally I dropped to my knees, out of breath. I looked around me, and saw that I was within the revolving room, a dozen or so doors, each leading to another room of some sort or another.

I stayed there for some time, caught my breath, then I got up, and turned to back the way I came, and face my fate. I never got the chance though, as, suddenly, a death eater stumbled through one of the doors, slamming it behind him, and starting the revolving. Both he and I stood frozen as we saw each other, and I knew in my mind the stillness would only last till the spinning stopped.

And then it did.

I sprang into motion, running through the closest door, and slamming it, hoping the room would spin again, giving me time to hide, or run. Luckily it did. Safe for a few moments, I looked around, gained my bearings. I was in the time room, the clocks ticking and toking all around me, and line up neatly upon shelves, time turners.

At the sight of them, my heart raced, and the threat behind me was forgotten.

The gears in my head started turning as I walked up to one of shelves, right next to the biggest hourglass I had ever seen. If I used one of these, I could go back in time, stop myself from killing Bellatrix, I could fix everything-

All of that was ruined when the door was thrown open, the limegreen light of the killing curse flying right for me. Just as the darkness was obscuring my vision, I felt the tell-tale feeling of a hook around my navel, and I had hope that I just might have been saved.

(-)(-)

There were voices all around me as I woke up, being roughly pulled up, and dragged up some hill. There seemed to be loud, cheering crowds all around me, though not for me. I could feel hatefull stares upon me, and jeers coming from all directions. At least, I assumed they were jeers. I couldn't understand one word of what was being said, not because of the loudness, but because they were speaking some foreign language.

Finally who ever was dragging me stopped, at what I assumed was the top of the hill, and using some sort of blade, I couldn't really tell as I was still drowsy from being awoken, they cut away most of my clothes, leaving me only in my pants. Someone threw me upon the ground, and I was held down, and tied to something, maybe a cross, as the tied both of my wrists, stretching out left and right, to the wood, and my feet were tied together below me. Slowly whatever I was tied to was risen strait up onto the ground, me with it, and I cried out at the pain in my arms and legs from my weight pulling me down. Fully awake I looked around me. My eyesight wasn't good; I didn't have my glasses on, but all around me people stood, jeering and throwing things at me, and another man, to my right aways. He was held up the same way I was, on, what I knew now for sure, a cross, tied at the wrists and ankles.

I'm not sure how long I stared around, but for some reason my eyes were so heavy, and I was so tired... so... very... tired...

I was jolted awake by the sound of someone in pain. To my right, a third person had appeared, and was also being put upon a cross.

He wasn't being tied though.

Had I been fully awake, seeing someone being nailed to a cross might have rang a bell in my head, but as I wasn't, it didn't.

I looked away, trying not to let the whimpers get to me too much, though they didn't last long, a testament to the mans willpower. Soon enough, the man was pulled up, same as the other man and I, and now we were lined up side by side, on crosses. I'm not sure how much time passed now, but I didn't fall asleep, or pass out again. The crowd, which had risen in noise upon the arrival of the third man, had quieted somewhat now, and just a few feet in front of me I saw a number of men, dressed as guards for some king in the middle ages might, playing dice for the collection of the second man's, third man's, and my clothes.

Eventually some hours past, as I hung there, wodering where I was, though not why I was being treated this way. I had killed a women, after all. In front of me, the guards seemed to become bored, and there was one each coming toward the others and myself. The guard, said something to me, and then used a spear to make two slices on the inside of my elbows.

I tensed, and growled out for a moment at the pain, but I refused to yell out. The guard looked at me with a disappointed expression, and walked away. I glanced at my wounds, they were bleeding professedly, then at the other men. The second man was cut very much the same way I was, but the third man was stabbed on his right side, right threw the ribs. Again, had I not been so tired, and losing focus with the blood loss, it might have sparked a memory. As it is, it didn't.

There was one thing that did come to me though.

Crosses. God.

The Dursley's had been avid church goers, when I was around 6, and they always brought me with them, figuring that it might make me less of a freak I guess. It stayed that way for almost a year, until my teachers hair turned blue, a cause of my accidental magic, though I didn't know it at the time. Ever since then, they hadn't taken me to church, afraid I would do something freakish in the house of God. So it was almost nine years now that I hadn't been to church, but I still remembered a few things.

Confessionals, for one.

Suddenly, the dizziness and confusion left me, to be replaced by a clarity I hadn't felt since coming to this place.

I was going to say my first prayer in nine years. And I wouldn't be ashamed of what I believed in, like I was when I first went to Hogwarts.

I breathed in, closed my eyes, and tilted my head toward the sky.

"Father," my voice was scratchy, and horse from un use, but, to me at least, it sounded determined, "Forgive me for I have sinned."

I stopped and was silent for a moment, gathering my thoughts. All around me, some people quieted, listening to me, though they couldn't understand me. I could even feel the other two men's eyes on me.

I told the story of what happened, the ministy, Sirius, Bellatrix, everything.

"I killed her in cold blood... I had a choice not to do it, but I didn't...

"I don't deserve forgiveness for what I've done... I don't expect any... but I ask guidance for my friends... my family... Watch over them, please... Don't let them do what I've done..."

By the end, tears were rolling down my face, and I wept unashammedly, not for myself, but for my friends.

"I hear true sorrow from you, for your friends, brother."

Shocked, I turned to the voice. It was the third man, the one who arrived last, the one nailed to the cross.

I got my first good look at him. He was gaunt now, and pale with his lost blood. Upon his head there was a crown of thorns, and suddenly I reallized the significance of all this.

He continued on. "It is because of your pure heart... Your honesty and sorrow... That my Father sent you here, to me... to be with me as I give my life to you all... just as you will need to do when the time comes..." He stopped and smiled gently at me, and I couldn't stop the tears from cascading down my face. Again, he continued.

"I forgive you my friend... when your time comes... you will stand with me, next to me and my Father in his glorious kingdom... not as a follower... nor as an unwilling leader... but as a friend and a brother"

He stopped finally and just gazed at me as I sobbed, salty tears falling down my cheeks. I was a few moments later he spoke again.

"It is time for you to return home, Harry Potter, I will be watching over you..."

Then I opened my eyes.

(-)(-)

Dumbledore was standing over me, as I sat up from the floor.

"Are you alright Harry? It seems you were fortunate to just be hit by a stunner."

I stared at him for a moment, both slightly dazed and confused, and knowing that it wasnt a stunner that was fired at me.

With a sudden shudder, I wept again, this time tears of joy, even as Dumbledore stood confused, knowing that I would be able to see everyone I loved again. I stared up at the ceiling, not really seeing the ceiling, but gazing past it. I remembered his words to me.

"..._Just as you will need to do when the time comes_..."

I nodded once.

'Without hesitation.'


End file.
